The Globe Topsham

The Globe is a four-star pub-with-rooms inn on Fore Street in Topsham, the historic riverside village a short way down the Exe from Exeter city centre. One detail comes up so often among guests travelling with a dog that it has become the property's quiet trademark: a dog goodies bag waiting in the room on arrival. Guests who let the inn know in advance that a dog is coming consistently describe treats laid out for the pet alongside the usual welcome touches for the human guests.

The arrangements are spelled out rather than improvised. Dogs go in a select number of rooms, so a dog-friendly room has to be booked before you arrive rather than requested at the desk, and the charge is £20 per dog per stay, added on top of the room rate rather than built into it. Two dogs are the maximum in a bedroom and one in the apartment. Leads are expected throughout the public areas and dogs are not to be left alone in the bedrooms, but your dog is welcome with you in every part of the pub except the main restaurant. A tennis ball, treats and biodegradable poo bags are provided, which is what the goodies bag actually amounts to.

The location is the second strength. Topsham sits on the Exe estuary with a path along the river that links the village to Exeter on one side and to the open coast on the other, a properly long and properly varied dog walk that justifies a multi-night stay rather than just an overnight. The historic high street with its independent shops, cafes and old pubs is on the doorstep.

Two practical caveats to weigh honestly. First, parking is the main constraint: the property has no on-site car park, and guests arriving with a dog and bags flag the walk up from the council car park as a real consideration in bad weather. Second, this is accommodation above a working pub, arranged around a courtyard, and noise is the recurring complaint. Guests report the bar audible from the rooms until closing, dogs barking downstairs into the late evening, floors thin enough to carry every movement from the room above, and early light and courtyard activity in the morning. A dog that settles badly in noise will have a harder time here than at a quiet country inn.

Best suited to couples and small families with one or two well-mannered dogs of any size who want a proper Topsham pub stay with riverside walks at the door and hosts who make the dog feel as welcome as the owner. Less suited to anyone who must have on-site parking next to the room, or to dogs that find a busy pub stressful.